3 Questions for Anyone Feeling Stuck

I have a history of never staying in the same place for too long.

My first job, I held for two years. My second job, not as long. I moved when I saw an opportunity to make more money or do something that I thought would be more interesting.

In my life, I’ve held more than a dozen different jobs across nearly three decades. The longest one I ever held was when I operated my first business.

In 2007, after I left the Army, I launched PetCorps Professional Pet Care. Don’t let the pretentious name fool you…I was a professional pooper-scooper. I drove across five counties in north central Kentucky, visiting residential properties, collecting dog waste, and hauling it away for safe disposal. After twelve years, I had 60 weekly subscribers and generated $60,000 in annual recurring revenue.

At the time, I thought I was making peanuts. I wanted more. I wanted to be more.

With a growing family, I could not (or so I thought) in good conscience keep doing the same thing hoping that one day, I would make it big.

I wrestled with the thought of closing my business and the implications it meant. To me, it meant admitting defeat. It meant, I was a failure.

And that led me into a mid-life crisis at 37 years old.

My whole identity was wrapped up in being an animal care specialist, a professional pooper scooper. And I didn’t want to be known as the pooper scooper guy.

I felt stuck. And that wasn’t the only time.

During COVID, I gave up my position as an assistant manager at a restaurant because I refused to wear a face mask. That led me to a season of unemployment, the first time in my life.

And in that season, I felt stuck. I was working (as much as I could so I could keep my benefits). But that wasn’t enough. Somehow, through the grace of God, my family was taken care of during those two years, until I landed another job.

It was a humble position as a caretaker at a doggie daycare. It only paid $10 an hour, and I was underutilized. All my Army training as a veterinary technician was useless. My job was simply to stand around and make sure the dogs didn’t get into fights. Plus, clean up the occasional messes. I didn’t see an opportunity for advancement. And standing around all day didn’t appeal to me. Especially, at that hourly rate.

Soon, I found a position at a cabinet manufacturer. It offered a substantial increase in pay, so I applied and got it. But it wasn’t long before I realized, I was in another dead end situation with no clear path to advancement.

It’s during times like these that I feel stuck. I wonder if you have ever felt stuck. And if you have, I have some questions that I think are worth your consideration.

How do you know when to be stuck?

For me, I would say it depends on the context of what it means to be stuck. When I was in the Army, the path to advancement was clear. I knew what was required to get promoted. I knew what to study and how to prepare. In the civilian world, things aren’t spelled out as clearly. Half the time, I think most companies are making it up as they go, but I digress. Stuck to me feels like being between a rock and a hard place. There is nowhere to go but to stay pressed in.

When you get stuck, what exactly is it that makes you stuck?

It’s ultimately my perception. There’s a saying in the personal development space: “We don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.” To me that means, if I feel stuck, it is because I want to be stuck. Why would anyone want to be stuck? I think it is a protective mechanism. When I’m stuck, I can complain about how miserable I am, and in so doing, I become powerless to change it. And when I refuse to change it, I can stay comfortable, like a baby in a poopy diaper. “I know it stinks, but it’s warm…and it’s mine.”

What kind of stuck is that stuck?

Now this question may cause you to take pause. Have you ever really thought about what kind of stuck your stuck is? Whether being between a rock and a hard place, or a warm poopy diaper, what is that stuck like?

I want to challenge you today to take account of what it means to be stuck in your life. Journal about these three questions and see what your unconscious mind offers up. Then, decide whether or not you want to change.

The thing is, many people say they want change, but they often resist it, don’t they?

Let’s be the ones who run toward change, face it head on, and embrace it.